"photo fatigue"?

[artyboy]

how many of you guys face this? u got your gear, expanded it to include different lenses for your photographic needs, got the accessories you need to improve upon them, read up/ask questions here, learn and draw inspiration from others' photos and then you're all ready to take out your gear and explore and shoot during your leisure time. and.... there is NOTHING to shoot!! you can't take a vacation somewhere else but you've shot all there is to shoot in your hometown! what do you guys do? and to make matters worse, you look at all your gear and all that money spent on them and ask yourself "What the..?"

[Primm]

Actually, I can't honestly say I've ever experienced this!

I've been photographing SLR for eleventy-million years now, and DSLR for only a few months, but I've never found a shortage of subjects.

On the contrary, I find that when I go somewhere without my camera I'm forever seeing photo opportunities that I'm missing. The most mundane subjects with amazing lighting on them, or shots that I can't take because I haven't got my gear with me spring up all over the place.

Go for a walk, somewhere you've been a million times before, but do it with your eyes properly open. Walk around and look at everyday objects from different angles. Get right up close, and as far away as possible. I guarantee you'll never again think "there's nothing to shoot".

Have fun!

[shannyD]

i know how you feel. i just moved to sacramento from eastern NC. and there is nothing to shoot here. its all ugly, flat, and just nothing but dirt all over the place. in NC we had the atlantic, slat marshes, rivers, and just beautiful sensets. plus....we had lots of military things happening all of the time. so there was always something to take a picture of.
i go out all of the time looking for a place to take pictures of. and i just get bored with the same look.
i think im going to try folsom prison tomorrow.
hugs.
shannon

[jbone]

I have felt the same way. Sometimes I still do. However... I try to remember tips like primm said above and others have given me along the way. I have actually been suprised at how many hidden things I have found around my town. I dont know where you live but maybe you can take small trips outside your town for a day maybe. Thats what Ive been doing lately. Hope this helps!

[artyboy]

thanks Ruth, guess i have to open my eyes further. yes i get what you mean, sometimes i find a good subject then realised that its under the shade and shoot irregardless (regret it when i see the pic on my PC later). i could have taken out the flash for fill-in but didnt cos it was an inpromptu and unposed subject... then i asked myself if i should have mounted my flash when out-and-about, even during bright sunlight. but if i do, my walkabout photo gear is no longer well, "walkabout"... !

[Tee Why]

Haven't felt that way too much, but then again I live in Southern California where there are plenty of things to shoot. I guess you have to be more creative and find things to shoot if you live in a less photo op dense area.

Another thing to consider is that some find the gathering info and hunting for a good bargain more exciting than the actual shooting/use of the gear itself. I guess you'll have to be honest with yourself and ask if you are more into gear collecting or shooting.

But I think if you look around with attention to how things would look as a photo, I'm sure you'll find more stuff to shoot.

[artyboy]

yes Tee, i did thot of it that way. the gear i've bought were all useful during planned photo 'excursions' - trips out of town, overseas vacations and local events etc. its during the days when im in my own hometown and when there's no events thats rather trying. and yes i did think of putting my macro lens to good use, and believe it or not there are no local parks/gardens where i am, so i'm settling for indoor shoots. that is, if i can find a darn store that sells large colored paper to be used as a background!! i've bought the lamps and cloth for diffused lighting so its now down to getting large-sized paper rolls as background material, and im still looking...

[shannyD]

yes Tee, i did thot of it that way. the gear i've bought were all useful during planned photo 'excursions' - trips out of town, overseas vacations and local events etc. its during the days when im in my own hometown and when there's no events thats rather trying. and yes i did think of putting my macro lens to good use, and believe it or not there are no local parks/gardens where i am, so i'm settling for indoor shoots. that is, if i can find a darn store that sells large colored paper to be used as a background!! i've bought the lamps and cloth for diffused lighting so its now down to getting large-sized paper rolls as background material, and im still looking...

walmart or any craft store sells the large sheets of colored paper.

[artyboy]

no go - im a foreigner posted to a third-world country where there's no decent stationery/art shops, much less Walmarts. back in my own country, there is always something to shoot, just have to venture out and look for it, but here... damn... when im back home, my photo gear is always with me wherever i go but its seeing less use once im back here. sometimes its so demoralising i even shudder at the thought of selling everything off and find another hobby... bummer... and to think i've been into photography since the early 90s! or perhaps i should just psych myself that its perfectly normal for the photo gear to stay in the dry cabinet during "off-peak" times. or is it really normal?

[cdifoto]

I shoot a lot, I just don't share much of it here.

[shannyD]

ahh i see.
maybe take some pics of the things less obvious. like hanging laundry blowing in the wind, people, bugs, flowers, i dont know.
im stuck in an area that is so congested. the last time i went out with my tripod, i was harassed by the cops. they thought that i was using the tripod to mount weapons of mass destruction. ( i have no idea what goes on in peoples heads.)

[shannyD]

I shoot a lot, I just don't share much of it here.

porn?

[cdifoto]

they thought that i was using the tripod to mount weapons of mass destruction. ( i have no idea what goes on in peoples heads.)

I have no idea what weapon of mass destruction would even use a 1/4" screw. I can understand wanting a QR plate though...

[shannyD]

you have no idea. my husband is a weapons expert, so the cops were giving him a hard time as well. because they thought he was helping me. ( hes a marine)

[artyboy]

thanks Shanny, yeah i'll just have to prod myself along.
think i'll shoot the locals for the next few weeks (trishaw riders/policemen/market people). just over the last weekend i was pleasantly surprised when i tried to take a pic of a little girl playing by the market - her elder sister quickly hug her and posed for me! in hindsight perhaps i shld have gotten a camera with a built-in flash for those walkabout impromptu street portraits. thanks for sharing guys/gals!

[LotsToLearn]

I guess I kind of understand... I enjoy shooting performers and street scenes during the many summer outdoor events/festivals here in the city. I'm an amateur so I don't have any credentials to get into indoor/paid events so once our Canadian winter comes, I kind of run out of things to shoot, even spring and fall are sparse shooting. I'm not really into shooting flowers, trees or snow and there's not much wildlife in the city either.

But I guess that explains why I end up buying my new equipment over the winter... to gear up for spring/summer.

[artyboy]

im kinda curious as to how the average photographer here spends his time in this hobby. i mean does he/she bring his gear with him wherever he goes (on weekends) or only on planned photo-taking outings? it doesnt matter if he/she brings a backpack load of gear or just one camera/lens but i would like to know how involved POTNers are, apart from sharing info/experiences/discussions here.

i have to confess tho, the last time when i was with Nikon gear, i didnt invest in ED/high-end glass and it was only a small part of my other hobbies, so times where it remained in the drybox wasn't an issue. im thinking if the situation changed becos i've now invested alot in L glass and will feel guilty if they remain in the cabi for too long?!?

[Rudy M.]

I have had the "burn-out" feeling many times, but still try--and always carry a camera. The last time I was out off-road bicycling with my wife, I did NOT have my little P&S camera with me and stumbled on two huge orange fungi growing in the woods that were stunning against the dark forest floor. I am going back tonight so hopefully they will still be there--I spend a lot of time in the woods and had not seen this type in a very long time. Last Saturday I went to my old home town during the annual wine festival. There was the usual car show--but this time I only took about dozen shots total that day--not very many of whole cars, just parts. The inside of a VW camper van; a cat sleeping on top of the air filter under an open hood; a JMSBOND license plate; a Texaco gas attendant's hat on the hood of a car (rememeber when full service attendants at gas stations actually wore a complete uniform?). I also took a shot of a box of polished rocks at one of the craft booths (cool back ground for the computer), and also a few others of some "color" in the form of weird hats and tie-died clothing on racks. Maybe it's that I grew up here that I don't think there is much to photograph, but hopefully 50 years from now people will like to see my shots of the buildings that "used" to be there! A firend has quite a collection of old B&W post cards and photos from our town when there was a dirt road and horses at hitching rails on main street. I'd have never gotten a look into the past had not some bored photographer taken a photo of a muddy street with a horse pooping!

BTW--you have to have a camera with you get a photograph--no matter how small or big or expensive. If you don't have it with you--no photos! I carry a tiny Minolta Xt 3mp camera most all the time. If I going for a trip say to Chicago or a long walk-about, or deer hunting, I'll take my Olympus C5050 5mp camera--it totally rocks my photo world. For action at the motocross track, or shooting the dogs or horses, or some walking about--my 20D and a lens or two. I do have to say however, most of my best shots are from my C5050--simply because it is with me more than the others when I find neat things to shoot. And, the C5050 will go with me skiing espeicially in Colorado--and this huge, heavy 20D will stay home--just not convenient to ski with!

Like another said--ignore the "big picture" and take photos of parts of the big picture. Maybe the signs on buildings rather than the whole building?

[tkindler]

I think I remember this story correctly. Ansel Adams was born and raised in San Francisco. When asked why he didn't take photos in the city he replied that there was "nothing of interest to shoot."

Maybe things are sometimes just too familiar to consider as proper subjects.

[artyboy]

thanks Rudy, you brought up some valid points - taking a small part of the big picture, and coincidentally trying out B&W photography! and yes, "burnout" is very appropriate description, esp when one is so involved in the hobby and suddenly faced with a lack of subjects to shoot. im presently reading Michael Freeman's 'The Photographic Eye' and am drawing inspiration from it just to keep me going.

[liza]

I can't say that I've experienced that with the sports, community events, portraits, and weddings. I do get burned out taking so many photos, though.

[Sukha_Singh]

I bought my camera earlier this year and ive taken it out several times, but never really got major keepers, where I live isnt the best of areas and I dont fancy carrying the camera around here, so all ive done is taken allot of photos of things around the house, mainly my swords, daggers and other weapons.

I am going to Singapore and Thailand in two months and ill be taking my camera there, catching sunsets in Thailand and city life in Singapore. :D While im there im also hoping to pick up a 70-200 2.8,

[Mark_Cohran]

I think it's good to take a break from shooting from time to time. It lets me return to shooting with new energy and creativity. I shoot quite a lot from May until the end of October and then my shooting tends to slow drastically in the winter months. And that's fine for me.

But, I think your issue is different. My suggestion would be to take a field of photography that you haven't studied much before (such as macro, studio, G&N, etc.) and attempt to learn that aspect of the craft. Such a process often provides new challenges and helps to hone certain skills.

Mark

[artyboy]

Sukha - enjoy yr trip and good luck with the lens!!

Mark - Thanks & yup you're right, think i ought to 'accept' that there will be lull periods in one's hobbies. regardless my cam is always with me when im out over the weekends, just not the full backup setup. i'll be trying out macros with my wife soon too. one consolation is that i usually hit the books (photography books) when im not shooting.

[Seefutlung]

Artyboy-

There are photos everywhere ... it is up to you to see them.

Use only one lens go out ... pick a park or a few blocks of your town/city and shoot. Photography takes creative energy ... expecting photos to jump up and yell "Hey, hey Artyboy here I am ... btw shoot from over there ... iso 200, shutter 1/250 at F/11." Just isn't gonna happen and to be honest waiting for photos to find you instead of you finding photos is just lazy.

Shoot up ... shoot down ... shoot close ... shoot from afar ... shoot in the morning haze and the evening golden light ... you gotta shoot. Go back to the same spot and shoot with a different lens ... go back to the same spot and shoot at a different time of day. This will force you to think differently ... to explore the attributes of your various lenses and the attributes of the subject. Remember that you are capturing light (which is a cool idea in and of itself) ... some areas of the sensor will capture more light and other areas will capture less light ... combined they create the image ... so next time you go shooting not only look at the subject but also look at the light. Forget the subject ... where is the light coming from ... is it harsh or soft ... what happens to the light if I move over here ... or over there ... don't take snapshots ... like, hey that looks neat ... lift camera ... click move on. Stop and look at the subject and look hard at the light ... maximize your creativity by using only one lens ... think about DOF ... think about shutter speed and how you want the final image to appear.

Finally, pick a theme. The theme doesn't matter ... what matters is how you attack the theme creative-wise. So say doors ... there are doors everywhere... go shoot them. Keep shooting doors until you have ten shots which you are proud. Ten shots which say "Artyboy" ... ten shots which individually say "Look at me!" and collectively say "Wow!".

Gary

[NBEast]

I burn out on a style or subject, set it all aside for a while, then discover a new aspect.

Pursuit of quality (not quantity) helps. As my skill levels off I get a little bored, then something inspiring spurs it along.

[lungdoc]

Macro can be a good extension/diversion if you have any interest. Also worth considering that some things may be more interesting than you think - we recently went through some of my wife's grandfather's now-digitized old slides - amazing how cool a shot of your hometown street from 1957 with all the old cars and signs is! If I took that shot today it's boring, but in 50 years it's awesome. Sometimes we forget that documenting the world around us is useful too.

[deeeez]

hey, why dont we get a forum area going where people can post different shooting places in a particular city...

Maybe I'll start a thread, for Southern California/Los Angeles Area...

I can see this branching off into a section of the forum, if enough participate..

[NBEast]

hey, why dont we get a forum area going where people can post different shooting places in a particular city...

Maybe I'll start a thread, for Southern California/Los Angeles Area...

I can see this branching off into a section of the forum, if enough participate..You return to the same spot?

Kidding. I have a few spots that I overused and wore to the nub so's I don't even bring a camera when visiting - only to find some refreshing new niche.

[artyboy]

Artyboy-

There are photos everywhere ... it is up to you to see them.

Use only one lens go out ... pick a park or a few blocks of your town/city and shoot. Photography takes creative energy ... expecting photos to jump up and yell "Hey, hey Artyboy here I am ... btw shoot from over there ... iso 200, shutter 1/250 at F/11." Just isn't gonna happen and to be honest waiting for photos to find you instead of you finding photos is just lazy.

Shoot up ... shoot down ... shoot close ... shoot from afar ... shoot in the morning haze and the evening golden light ... you gotta shoot. Go back to the same spot and shoot with a different lens ... go back to the same spot and shoot at a different time of day. This will force you to think differently ... to explore the attributes of your various lenses and the attributes of the subject. Remember that you are capturing light (which is a cool idea in and of itself) ... some areas of the sensor will capture more light and other areas will capture less light ... combined they create the image ... so next time you go shooting not only look at the subject but also look at the light. Forget the subject ... where is the light coming from ... is it harsh or soft ... what happens to the light if I move over here ... or over there ... don't take snapshots ... like, hey that looks neat ... lift camera ... click move on. Stop and look at the subject and look hard at the light ... maximize your creativity by using only one lens ... think about DOF ... think about shutter speed and how you want the final image to appear.

Finally, pick a theme. The theme doesn't matter ... what matters is how you attack the theme creative-wise. So say doors ... there are doors everywhere... go shoot them. Keep shooting doors until you have ten shots which you are proud. Ten shots which say "Artyboy" ... ten shots which individually say "Look at me!" and collectively say "Wow!".

Gary

Wow! thanks Gary for the wakeup call :D
yup that thought did cross my mind - Themes! i get what you are trying to say about finding the subject and not the other way round. thanks for those wonderful suggestions, have something in mind now - Hats! hahah yeah people wearing hats! (quite a diverse selection here). the other day i shot a pic of a little girl near the marketplace and her sis quickly hug her and posed for me, im gonna print it out and give it to her this weekend (if i can remember where i met them). here's the pic, an inpromptu one so didnt noticed that part of the feet were off the frame.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v282/artyboy/sisters-resized-1.jpg

[artyboy]

another thing Gary, i like your nick.
i know that you know that i know what it means.....
anyone from Hong Kong, Canton & Singapore/Malaysia ought to know ;)

[Seefutlung]

another thing Gary, i like your nick.
i know that you know that i know what it means.....
anyone from Hong Kong, Canton & Singapore/Malaysia ought to know ;)

hahahahahahaha ... thanks

Gary